Cults of the Indar Sector
Here are the four primary variants of the Imperial Creed found in the Indar Sector, as well as some minor variants found in some subcultures. Vestan cult A very dualist cult, they view the world as a fight between the forces of Order (Asha) and the forces of Chaos (druj). Order and righteousness are the foremost virtues of this order. The Emperor as an avatar of Asha, or perhaps even the creator god made manifest in this world. On the other hand, druj is largely viewed as nothingness, an absense of any created order. Asceticism (favored by the other sects of the sector) is viewed as a waste of the gift of life, and courting druj. On death, your soul is said to join the emperor to fight Chaos, provided you do good deeds, live a useful live, and discharge your duty. Andu cult A cult much like the Vestan cult, but with certain major differences. First, everyone is born into their proper place, and their ambitions should fit their caste. They view the Imperium as having a caste system: Clerics (Ministorum, Mechanicus and Imperial Psykers) at the top, then Nobility (Including Administratum, Arbites, Imperial Guard, and Rogue Traders), then craftsmen and merchants (Including Free Captains and Traders and the rest of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica), then drudges/servants. In practice, Nobles wield the power, but they usually make sure to have a cleric that supports them at the minimum. Nobles should be warriors. They view the three most important Adeptae of Imperial rule to be the Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, and the Inquisition (sometimes called Voeshen, Brom, and Visha, after legendary members of each from M32). They believe in a form of reincarnation: all souls emanate from the Emperor, but the first emanations are often weak, and usually born into the drudge or servant class. After being refined by the austerities and trials of that life, they are born into one of the higher castes, depending on their virtues, the most virtuous are born into the clerical orders, after that the nobility, after that the guild orders. Once souls have acquired enough merit (through meritorious acts or ascetic ones), they will be reunited with the Emperor's soul, making it stronger than before. Pudh cult A sort of reaction to the occasional hypocrisy of the Andu cult, they view this physical world as merely a reflection of the true, spiritual world on which the true war is being waged. Self-sacrifice and using your talents in the service of the Imperium is viewed as the best use of your life. Psykers are viewed as blessed, not cursed, but that blessing requires extra discipline (a somewhat persistent heresy in this cult is that the Black Ships are unnecessary). They believe that all souls emanate from the Emperor, but have forgotten their origin and must seek to be subsumed in his will to return. Jai cult The most egalitarian cult of all, they see everyone as being equally blessed, albeit in different ways. The Emperor was first and foremost, a great teacher, then a god (the first is seen as better than the second). All souls are said to emanate from the Emperor, but were corrupted by Horus' betrayal. To reunite your soul with the Emperor, you must cleanse it of all corruption. Minor cults Rossic void cult Largely found on the older spacefaring vessels, this cult venerates the Emperor and the Primarchs as a pantheon of sorts, viewing the Emperor as sacrificing himself for the power to defend the Imperium, while the traitor Primarchs sought to sacrifice others for their own gain. They have their own version of a caste system, but it's not so much a straightjacket as someone's current station in life, the vagaries of fate (viewed as stronger than the Emperor or Chaos) can do strange things. Simply put, those who rule are Yrls, those who serve them but have enough authority to make their own decisions are Qorls, and those who simply serve until they make themselves better known are Torls. Donavan cults Found in the Dona tributaries, they focus on Dona as an avatar of the Emperor, and various other gods and kings (varying by world) as being his direct servants and guiding their worlds in the best path for all. Varies from rustic culture heros outwitting daemon, traitor and xenos with cunning to mystery cults focused on the use of certain hallucinogens to hear the voice of the Emperor.